ONE of the UK’s leading celebrations of the sweet, succulent and delicious tasting strawberry saw hundreds of people converge on Crudwell near Malmesbury over the weekend to salute and enjoy the popular summer fruit.

An assortment of strawberry treats were enthusiastically devoured at the two-day Crudwell Strawberry Fayre on the village green.

“The event is getting bigger every year,” said one of the organisers Cathy Butcher. “It’s difficult to say how many people came along but we served more than 1,000 teas over the two days,” she said.

These were invariably consumed alongside a variety of suitably flavoured goodies as around a quarter-of-a-tonne of strawberries were deployed.

The most popular item turned out to be The Works, a calorie-packed combo of shortcake with strawberry syrup, strawberries, cream and ice cream.

This year a glossy 52-page booklet, The Crudwell Book of Strawberries, was published to coincide with the festival.

Produced by Mrs Butcher and her husband David of Abbey Printing in Malmesbury, it highlights the intriguing history of the event as well as focusing on just about every aspect of the strawberry – from its health and beauty enhancing qualities to an array of recipes.

The couple felt that as the fayre was about to enter its 28th year the time was ripe for a book saluting both the event and what they describe as “probably our most popular summer fruit.”

The roots of the strawberry fayre hark back World War Two when GI bride Pat Harding left England for a new life in Indianapolis where she was befriended by Christ Church Cathedral.

There she instigated a strawberry fayre which has been thriving for more than half-a-century.

In 1987 her sister, the late Jean Pearce of Crudwell, visited Indianapolis where she successfully sought a grant from the cathedral’s outreach programme to help contribute to the restoration of the village’s All Saints Church.

Crudwell then launched its own strawberry fayre in recognition of the American event and the cathedral’s generosity.

*The book is £3.50 with all proceeds going towards All Saints Church. Copies are available from Abbey Printing at 01666-825989, Crudwell post office and Mayfield House Hotel, Crudwell. More information: crudwellstrawberryfayre.co.uk